"Britain may not have a composing tradition to rival those of France or Germany, but its musical life is the richest in the world. The Royal Albert Hall's season of Promenade concerts is bigger than any other annual music festival; the BBC, which sponsors the Proms, has long been the world's premier musical patron, and the orchestras which it finances reinforce that claim. Young musicians come from all over the world to study at Britain's conservatoires, which turn out a steady stream of superbly accomplished soloists and orchestral musicians."

Michael Church, Classical Music Journalist

Chilingirian Quartet (UK) in Armenia
April 28 – May 04 2005
Levon Chilingirian violin
Charles Sewart violin
Susie Meszaros viola
Philip De Groote cello

Special thanks to St. Sargis Charity Trust for their support of Chilingirian Quartet’s performances in Armenia.

Programme

April 28 at 19:00
Komitas Chamber Music Hall
Chamber Music Concert
Chiligirian Quartet

			L. V. Beethoven		String Quartet Op. 95
			Michael Tippett		String Quartet No. 2
			L. V. Beethoven		String Quartet Op. 74

April 29 at 19:00
Komitas Chamber Music Hall
MASTER CLASS Chilingirian Quartet
Open to public

May 01 at 19:00
Komitas Chamber Music Hall
National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia
Aram Gharabekian conductor
Chilingirian Quartet (UK)

			Edvard Grieg		Quartet in g minor orchestral version
			Hugh Wood		Serenade and Elegy for string quartet and orchestra Armenian Premiere
			Edward Elgar		Introduction and Allegro for string quartet and orchestra

May 04 at 19:00
Komitas Chamber Music Hall
National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia
Levon Chilingirian guest conductor & violinist

			W.A.Mozart		Divertimento in D Major K136
			Alan Hovhaness		Violin Concerto No.2  Op 89a
			Felix Mendelssohn		Quartet in f minor Op 80 orchestral version

Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra concert

In January 2005 Paul MacAlindin (UK) was invited by us and Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra to conduct Weber's Der Freischutz overture, Beethoven's Piano Concerto no.5, Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (1945).

English Speaking Union's young musicians concert

The English Speaking Union of Armenia organised a concert of talented young musicians on 15 September 2004 at the Komitas Chamber Music Hall. This was to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the British Council.

Benjamin Britten Festival

This festival was a tribute to Benjamin Britten, one of the most important figures of twentieth century music. British Council Armenia and National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia celebrated the 90th anniversary of his birth as well as his historic month-long visit to Armenia in August 1965.

The Benjamin Britten Festival began in Yerevan on 10 May 2003 at the Hakob Paronian Theatre. Then two other concerts took place in Dilijan on 12 May and 15 May. Dilijan is where not only Britten but also Aram Khachaturian, Dimitri Shostakovich and Mstislav Rostropovich found inspiration.

The Yerevan concert marked the first complete performance of The Poet’s Echo in Armenia, a setting of poems by Pushkin composed and completed in Dilijan in August 1965. Vishnevskaya and Rostropovich presented the second and fifth songs of the cycle for the first time in Yerevan in a recital they performed as part of the Britten Festival at the Philharmonic Hall (Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall) on 29 August 1965. The work received its first complete performance at the Moscow Conservatory on 2 December 1965, by the work’s dedicatees, Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich. Britten presented the manuscript as a gift to Edward Mirzoyan in return for their generous hospitality and a very happy month spent in Armenia.

London Sinfonietta

The visit of London Sinfonietta was a big arts event.
View the short video clip >>